In his previous life he was an orphaned vagabond, born into a train of refugees that marched ever north, across the wastelands to the frozen island. The train looked after him, a lost child who roamed the camps and slept where he pleased. An ashlander wisewoman took to looking out for him in his early years, and named him I'atol, which meant Blood-tears, and donned him with a special tattoo to symbolise his new name, and solidify its importance. She does these things because she recieves grave prophecy concerning this young boy in her dreams. She is told he will grow to fulfil a great role in a far away land, yet also sees that through his life he will bare unimaginable pain and suffering, for the greater good. She teaches him of the arcane, and he takes to these studies very well. Another of the Drisst clan teach him of the ways of the sword, which he also takes to very well, to the distaste of his adoptive mother.

He thus became officially adopted into the Drisst clan, an infamous ashlander family of only few surviving members, the old wise woman being one of those.

As a young teenager he split off from his people, and roamed the wastelands alone, trying to make sense of the utter desecration of his own race into which he was born. He mostly raised himself throughout these years, and endured many hardships, numerous brushes with death; long slow years of physical and mental suffering and total isolation, which shaped him into a man of hardy constitution and keen strength, yet also a lonely, uncaring man, who nurtured many deep mental scars.

He primarily found pleasure in life through unsatiable thirst for knowledge; thirst for an understanding of the maelstrom he was placed into from birth. He reads all he finds, and takes to his core everything he is taught. In an extended period underground, searching for months on end the dark cavernous interiors of the ruined underground cities of the dwemer, some old books spark in him a great curiousity about the history of his nation.

He also delighted in less savoury activities - developing a taste for a wide variety of mind altering plants and mushrooms,as well as thieving and killing where needs must.
At his core, though, I'atol is a kind hearted man, however isolated and reserved he may be. While he has a cruel side, it is mostly kept in check, and escapes only in the midst of extreme anger or injustice. He hates to see people kept in cages or as slaves, and questions deeply the beliefs of his race when concerned with the nature of ethnicity.


He eventually rejoins his people in Solstheim for a time, once he is a fully grown man, who has fended for himself for many years alone (around mid twenties).
An old wise man of the Fyr clan sees potential in him, and teaches him how to hone his arcane abilities by tapping into the hidden capabilities of his mind. The man becomes like a father to Iyatan, and teaches him most everything he knows about the nature of the world and the gods, correcting his patchy understanding as gleaned from old books and second hand accounts. He comes to have a basic, if rudimentary, understanding of the creation of the universe, in its various cultural guises, as well as a basic understanding of history and the nature of the Aurbis. He becomes fascinated with the concept of other realms and unimaginably powerful beings, but is very weary of the idea of the Aedra and the Daedra - he has an immovable gut-feeling that his life will somehow become entwined with forces greater than himself. He often has a sneeking suspicion he is being watched over, or guided in some way.

I'atol stays with his people for a long while, helping out where he can, defending the camps when needs must. He comes to adore the harsh yet beautiful lands of Solstheim, yet often struggles to survive, along with the other refugees. He comes to relish his arcane talents, and invests himself in to their practice - this gives him a sense of purpose.

He grew restless after spending eleven years on Solstheim, supporting his people, and left for Cyrodill with a boatfull of other refugees seeking a brighter future. After a long harsh journey, I'atol escapes an ambush by Imperial Guards, only to be crossing the border into Skyrim. A fight ensues, and I'atol kills two guards before taking a near-fatal axe blow to the skull by a third. He comes around, bound, in a carrige - a month has passed in which he has been in a coma.
He is dazed and confused, but quickly remembers who he is and where he is.


An unlikely dragon attack affords him a chance of escape, and after a quick escape, he finds himself in SKyrim, alone, and free. He takes it slow...he is confused, and dazed, and his body is weak. The primary goal, burning through him, is to seek out new spells, and develop further his arcane studies. He is also itching to explore this beautiful new land, which reminds him of his icey home of Solstheim, and collect lores so that he may better his understanding of the world.
He resolves to travel east, and then north to seek the sea, which he misses dearly.